Bounce
by Burlesque
Summary: An ordinary mission goes horribly wrong


Title- Bounce  
  
Author- Burlesque  
  
E-mail - burlesq@hotmail.com  
  
Category- Hurt/Comfort  
  
Archive  
  
Season- 1  
  
Spoilers – None really  
  
Rating- PG  
  
Content Warning- Nothing  
  
Summary- An ordinary mission goes horribly wrong  
  
Disclaimer Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.  
  
Bounce  
  
By  
  
Burlesque  
  
  
  
  
  
Jack sighed and pulled his hat off his head, scratching his scalp. Squinting a bit even behind his sunglasses, he surveyed his team. Carter was off with Teal'c taking her samples while Daniel was kneeling in front of a large panel of inscriptions carved into the wall of a derelict temple. He smiled slightly as he watched the young man's nimble fingers lovingly trace the outlines of carvings made centuries ago. It was as if the archaeologist hoped to touch the essence of the artisans of the past by touching the last reminder of their very existence.  
  
There were days when he envied the man his enthusiasm, his zest for life. Instead of finding digging through the remnants of extinct civilizations depressing, he seemed to thrive when he was hip deep in dusty artifacts.  
  
"How we doing kids?" Jack called, putting his hat back on. He cast a wary eye to the sky, frowning a bit at the sight of the dark clouds gathering there. He was no meteorologist, but he knew rain when he saw it.  
  
"Jack, this is fascinating," Daniel enthused. "It looks like these people are Native American, maybe even Anasazi."  
  
"I thought she died with her sisters?"  
  
Daniel smiled and laughed, the rich chuckles filling the alien air. "Not Anastasia, Anasazi. A Native American tribe that literally just vanished out of the Southwestern United Stated centuries ago."  
  
"Yeah, thrilling."  
  
"Jack! Do you know what this means? We could have just solved one of history's greatest mysteries. The Anasazi didn't just disappear, they were kidnapped by the goa'uld. This will turn archaeology on its ear."  
  
"Archaeology will have to wait Daniel," Sam said, joining them. "Remember the non-disclosure clause? You can't tell anyone," she reminded.  
  
Her friend's face fell a bit as he remembered the high price they played for being able to explore the universe…no matter what fantastic things they found, they remained a secret. This price was exceptionally hard on Daniel, the sole civilian member of the team. He'd joined the SGC on the same day his reputation in academia was torn to tatters by his peers.  
  
He'd had the audacity to suggest that some greater force had meddled with human development. An idea that he's certainly proved right. But an idea he couldn't share with anyone, much less the dissenters who'd ridiculed him so badly. For the time being at least, he had to content himself with simply knowing that he was right and they were wrong. But one day, one day he'd have his vindication. "Yeah," he replied morosely.  
  
"Don't worry bout it Danny boy. We all know you're right," Jack said, laying a comforting hand on the man's shoulder.  
  
Daniel gave him a grateful smile and closed his notebook. "Thanks, Jack."  
  
The small group picked up their belongings and started the trek back to the gate, falling into line. Teal'c was on point, his dark alien eyes scanning the area for any dangers to his human counterparts. Sam and Daniel were in the middle, chatting quietly amongst themselves while Jack brought up the rear. As he walked he watched the two youngest members of his team talking animatedly. Ever since their first meeting earlier that year they'd been like that. Folks at the SGC were starting to call them the 'wonder twins'.  
  
Carter was a good kid; she had a lot of potential, he thought. She just needed some real life experience to even out her scientific background.  
  
A sudden rush of wind stirred the grass and pulled Jack from his reverie. He turned and felt his heart sink as he saw the leaden clouds swirling over head. "Aah…Kids. Let's pick up the pace a little huh?" He said as a loud crack of lightening split the sky, followed seconds later by roaring thunder.  
  
"Colonel, we need to get out of the open," Sam called.  
  
"To the trees," Jack ordered, pointing at the large stand of trees just a few hundred yards away. The four members of SG-1 took off at a run towards the relative safety of the forest. As they ran the thunder and lightening grew in intensity until it was an almost constant series of brilliant flashes and deafening roars. Just as they reached the treeline, the sky opened. Fat, heavy droplets of cold rain pounded upon them, soaking the quartet in seconds.  
  
They ran deeper into the forest, seeking shelter now from the rain as it penetrated the trees. Lightening cracked and shattered a large tree a few yards away. "This way!" Teal'c called, pointing off towards their right.  
  
Obediently they followed, now struggling through the slippery mud. There was an intense flash of light and Jack was knocked to the ground by the shockwave from the thunder. Forcing himself to his feet he stared in horror at the large tree that was now in front of him. A tree he'd be under if he'd been running just a little faster.  
  
"O'Neill!" he heard Teal'c yell over the cacophony of rain. Forcing himself to his feet, Jack made his way around the fallen tree. The Jaffa was kneeling beside a prone Carter. With Teal'c's help, the woman rolled over and sat up, her face and uniform soaked with viscous mud.  
  
"Daniel," she gasped, pointing at the tree.  
  
Jack turned and felt his heart sink as lightening illuminated the pale, slender hand of his teammate…barely visible through the leaves of the tree.  
  
Jack immediately threw himself to the ground, digging through the soggy leaves, trying to get a visual on his friend. He felt Teal'c's presence behind him and the man's large capable hands grabbed a hold of the branch, lifting it up a bit.  
  
"You must pull him out, O'Neill," he said.  
  
"There might be damage…"  
  
"We can not leave him here," the man stated, confirming the obvious. Daniel may have spinal injuries…but they couldn't leave him out here in the cold rain. He'd die for sure.  
  
"Carter, give me a hand," Jack ordered, reaching in to dig his fingers into the archaeologist's jacket. "Carter!" he said again when she didn't immediately come to his side. "Support his head," he ordered when she joined him. The woman knelt down and cradled Daniel's head in her hands, trying to jostle his neck as little as possible. "Teal'c. Lift." The Jaffa obliged and they pulled Daniel free from the tree's clinging branches.  
  
They carefully dragged him over to a relatively dry spot, pausing as the young man let out a hoarse moan. "Daniel?" Jack knelt by his side.  
  
"J'ak." His hand weakly flopped forward, searching for his friend.  
  
Jack let out a sigh of relief and clasped it. "Yeah. I'm here. How do you feel?"  
  
"Dum… questn," he muttered.  
  
"Where does it hurt? Can you feel your legs?" Jack asked, laying his free hand on Daniel's leg, wincing at the clammy feel of the wet fabric.  
  
"Hurts…breathe," Daniel whispered.  
  
"I know. Can you move your legs?" Jack asked urgently. Daniel needed medical attention, and soon. But he was afraid they'd exacerbate the situation if they moved him too soon. In response, Jack saw Daniel's legs move a bit, sliding in the sticky mud. He let out a sigh of relief and carefully rolled the man over.  
  
Daniel moaned and gasped, biting his lip in response to the pain. Jack unzipped his jacket and pulled up the man's shirt, frowning as his eyes took in the livid bruising starting to color his skin. He was no doctor but he knew broken ribs when he saw them. "Ok, Danny boy. We're gonna get Teal'c here to give you a lift back to the gate, have you in Fraiser's capable hands in no time." His friend just nodded weakly, confirming to Jack how much pain he must be in. Daniel hated to be carried, the fact that he didn't protest told Jack how badly he must be feeling.  
  
Jack scooted back a bit, hampered by Daniel's refusal to release his hand. He saw Teal'c hand Carter his staff weapon, then the large alien knelt down and picked Daniel up with the gentleness of a man picking up a child.  
  
Teal'c stood up and Daniel moaned again as the movement jarred his broken ribs. Jack gently pried Daniel's fingers from around his, laying the hand across the man's chest. "Let's go," he ordered. "Carter, you're on point."  
  
The three ambulatory members of the team made their way back to the gate, moving as quickly as they safely could. They paused only once to pull the thin silvery survival blanket out of Jack's pack to wrap it around Daniel to keep him dry and preserve what warmth they could to forestall the inevitable shock.  
  
"Finally," Jack muttered as the stargate came into sight. He glanced back, Teal'c was lagging a bit, burdened as he was by the extra weight of the unconscious man. "Carter, dial it up." The young captain efficiently entered the glyphs then pushed back her jacket's sleeve to send the iris deactivation code.  
  
"All clear sir."  
  
"Go. Get medical on the way. We'll be on your six." She nodded and climbed the short flight of steps. "You ok, Teal'c?" he asked as the man caught up with him. The Jaffa nodded and trudged past Jack towards the gate.  
  
"I am well, however Daniel Jackson is not," the man said.  
  
"Fraiser will fix him. He'll be fine, Daniel's a fighter," Jack said, more to reassure himself than Teal'c. He followed the man through the rippling surface and into the roller coaster ride that was the wormhole.  
  
  
  
He exited in the SGC, grateful to see Teal'c already lying Daniel on the waiting gurney, then stepping back as the hand Jack had held flopped lifelessly off the edge of the narrow bed. With a flurry of orders Daniel was rushed from the room.  
  
"SG-1, what happened?" Hammond demanded.  
  
  
  
"There was a storm General Hammond," Teal'c reported.  
  
"Daniel got hit by a tree," Jack said. "I think he's got some broken ribs."  
  
The older man scanned the bedraggled group standing before him and sighed. "Go, get cleaned up and dried off. We'll debrief in two hours." They dejectedly handed off their weapons and trudged from the room.  
  
/\/\/\/\/\  
  
  
  
"Doc?" Jack eased into the infirmary, his hair still wet from the shower. The petite woman as seated at her desk writing in a thick folder.  
  
"Colonel."  
  
Jack scanned the room, taking in the four empty beds. "Where's Daniel?"  
  
"He's in surgery, sir."  
  
"Surgery?"  
  
"One of the broken ribs punctured his lung, he was bleeding internally. Doctor Warner is working on him right now."  
  
Jack felt like a huge fist slammed into his gut. Damn. He hadn't said a thing. Three hours of hiking and his friend hadn't breathed a word. Jack knew exactly how much he'd been hurting. The agony of raw bone digging into his flesh, the burning heat of his own blood filling his chest. "Doc?" he asked again helplessly.  
  
She smiled slightly. "He's a fighter,colonel. I'm sure he'll be fine."  
  
  
  
/\/\/\/\/\  
  
  
  
Jack walked into the infirmary, casting a wary eye at Fraiser's empty desk. She'd ordered him to bed two hours ago and he'd tried to follow her advice. But every time he closed his eyes all he could see was Daniel's pale hand sticking out of the leaves. So pale and lifeless. Just like Charlie's hand.  
  
Shaking his head to banish the nightmarish image he continued into the room. He just had to see, to touch, and to make sure that his friend was ok.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Daniel." Hearing Sam's voice he paused just outside the privacy curtain. "It should be me lying there not you," she said. He could hear the catch in her voice. She hadn't said much in the briefing, simply confirming the fact that the tree had fallen on Daniel. Was there more that had happened on the planet? Something she hadn't told any of them?  
  
Determined to get to the bottom of it, he stepped around the curtain. "Carter. I thought Fraiser sent you home," he said.  
  
Sam started, straightening up from her bent over position, her hand falling away from Daniel's head. "Sir," she said guiltily.  
  
"How is he?" Jack nodded towards Daniel.  
  
"Janet says he's going to be fine." She gave him a watery smile.  
  
"What do you mean by your fault?" he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"You said it was your fault. What happened?"  
  
"He…I didn't see the tree. Daniel did. He pushed me out of the way." She picked up the young man's hand and rubbed it gently. "If it wasn't for him, I'd be lying in that bed right now."  
  
"Go get some sleep, Carter. I'll take over here," he ordered gently. She nodded and got up, carefully setting Daniel's slack hand on his chest.  
  
Jack watched her leave and sighed. He sat in her freshly vacated chair and looked down at the injured man. Even under the thin blanket he could see the tell tale bumps of wires and leads, machines keeping him alive and monitoring his every condition. "You couldn't just yell watch out, could ya Danny boy? Just have to go that extra step." Not getting an answer, he settled for brushing the man's long hair off his face then settled back in the chair determined that no one was going to evict him.  
  
  
  
\/\/\/\/\/  
  
"Colonel?" Jack jumped awake, making Janet step back.  
  
"Doc?"  
  
"I thought I told you to get some sleep?" She placed her hands on her hips and gave him 'that look'.  
  
"I slept," he said, scrubbing his hand over his tired face.  
  
"You know what I meant," she chided, turning to check on Daniel.  
  
"How is he?" Jack sat up, stretching the kinks out a bit.  
  
"It looks good, sir. His sats are up and there's no sign of infection. In fact I'd bet he wakes up in a little bit."  
  
"Like I have a choice," a weak raspy voice said, causing the pair of them to look down at the figure in the bed. "Who can sleep with the two of you talking?"  
  
"Daniel."  
  
"Danny. How do you feel?" Jack asked happily.  
  
"Sam?"  
  
"She's fine. Not even a scratch," Jack reassured him.  
  
Daniel nodded and his eyes closed as he slipped back to sleep.  
  
\/\/\/\/\/  
  
Jack stood in the doorway, unable to hide a smile as he watched his kids. Daniel was ensconced on the couch, propped up with pillows while Sam sat at his feet, looking over her shoulder as she laughed at something he said. Teal'c sat ramrod straight in the armchair, looking like an indulgent father as he observed the pair. The Monopoly game was spread out on the table and Sam was serving as Daniel's designated mover since the young man was far from mobile at the moment.  
  
  
  
It was hard to believe that just a few days ago he'd been lying in the infirmary, fighting for his life. The kid's resiliency amazed Jack. No matter what crap life dealt him, he just kept bouncing back. Jack dreaded the day he didn't. "We should write Parker Brothers, get them to make a SGC version of the game," he said, forcing a smile on his face and banishing his dark thoughts.  
  
"SGC version?" Daniel asked, accepting the offered mug of coffee. He sniffed it and smiled broadly.  
  
"I won't tell Fraiser if you won't," Jack said, flaunting the doctor's 'no caffeine' order. If he followed all her advice he'd live on bran muffins and salads.  
  
"What do you mean, sir?" Carter asked, handing him the dice.  
  
"Yeah. You know. Do not pass Chulak, do not collect $200. Little death gliders and pyramid ships instead of houses and motels. Although we're going to have to come up with better names. Three hataks on P3X whatever just doesn't roll off the tongue like three hotels on Board walk."  
  
The music of laughter filled the air, accompanied by the gentle rhythm of friendships unbroken.  
  
###End### 


End file.
